Knitting machine



June 8, 1937. R. H. LAwoN KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1954 3-SheetsSheet l June 8, 1937. R. H. LAWSON KNITTING MACHINE Filed-Feb.3-, 1934 5 Sheets-Shea? 2 INVENTOR: fiaaszrfluwsozz' June 8, 193 7.

- R. H. LAWSON 2,083,333 KNITTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 3, 1954 3Sheets-Sheet 5 j [NI/EH70}? RMERTHLAWM/Y, 37W

A Tryl Patented June 8; 1937 KNITTING MACHINE Robert H. Lawson,Pawtuoket, a. 1., "time a Hemphill Company, Central Falls, B. L, acorporation of Massachusetts i Application February 3, 1934, Serial'No.709,545

This invention relates to improvements in knitting machines, thedrawings and the following description disclosing theinvention as beingapplied to a so' called fiat or; full-fashioned knitting machinealthough the invention is applicable to other types of knittingmachines.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a View in end elevation of a so-called flatknitting machine showing how the invention is applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of the thread marking device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan'view oi the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken-on the line 44, Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a'fragmentary view in side elevation similar to Fig. 1 butshowinga modification.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the 20 frame I of theknitting machine has mounted thereon a needle bar 2 in the usual manner,the said 'bar having fixedly mounted therein spring beard needles 3 asis usual in full-fashioned machines. Also fixedly mounted upon the frame1 is a sinker carrying bar 4 having sinkers 5 slidably mounted therein.-Mounted above the needle and sinker bars are guides such as 8 forfeeding threads such as I to the sinkers in the 'usualmanner by movingback and forth across the frame longitudinally of the needles andsinkers. From bobbins 8 the threads I pass to the guides 6 through athread marking mechanism illobeing lightly tensioned as by means ofsprings As shown, aj thread I is led from the source of supply such as abobbin 8 through porcelain or other eyelets -ll provided in arms 12upstanding from a plate l3 rigidly mounted upon. a bracket 14 as bymeans of screws l5. The bracket 14 projects laterally from the machineframe being connected thereto as by means of screws l6. Between theeyelets H and connected to the plate fl3 as by screws such as H is acircular receptacle l8 having holes l3 and 20 for the passage of thethread i therethrough. Within the receptacle l8 are plates 2!, 22 whichare disposed in parallel relation and between which and the op-- positeinner walls of the receptacle I8 is a wick 23 of absorbent material,which is supported upon a pin 23 connected to receptacle l8, as well as'a' quantity of marking liquid 24 which may be a transient dye, i. e.one that will be washed out or disappear during the finishing oi thestocking. Normally the thread 1 passes 55 through the holes I8 and 28being under sufllcient tension to be maintained above the wick 23;however, at predetermined times as determined in a manner hereinafter tobe described, the thread i is depressed downwardly to the position shownin Fig. 4 where it is. in contact with the wick 23. 5 This contact 'ofthe threadwith the wick is momentary with the I result. that the threadis periodically spotted with the. transient dye for a purposehereinafter to be more clearly set forth.

The hereinbefore described movements of the 10 thread I in contact withthe wick 23 are eflected by means of an Leshaped bar or rod 25 which isautomatically movable to andirom the full .and dotted line positions ofFig. 2. The rod 25 is adiustablly connected as by a screw 26 to a 001-lar 21 which latter is in turn adiustably mounted on a rod 28 as bymeans of a set screw 23. The rod 28 extends downwardly through a hole inplate i3 the lower end of the rod 28 being pivotally mounted as at 38 toone end of a lever 3! pivoted at 32 to the machine'frame. Inter: mediateits ends the lever 3| has attached thereto a cam or follower 33 which isperiodically engaged by a cam or cams on a drum 34, the latter beingdriven in any convenient manner as by means of a belt 35 so that thelever 3| is rocked once each course of knitting, i. e., twice during thecomplete back and forth reciprocation of the yarn guides and slurcock.

The rod 28 is elevated by cams on the cam drum 34 as just described andis lowered to the position shown in Fig 1 by means of a coil spring 36which at one end engages the lower face of the plate l3 and at its otherend engages collar 31 adJustably fastened to the rod 28 as by means 35'of a set screw 38. Another collar 33 is adjustably fastened to the upperportion of the rod 28 as by means of a set screw 40, the collar 31serving to compress the spring 36 upon the rod 28 being elevated by thecam drum 34, and the colv40 lar 33 serving'to limit the downwardmovements of the rod 28 due to the expansion of the coil spring 38. Thelowering of the rod 28 as by means of the spring 36 causes the guide orfollower 33 to drop off a cam or cam drum 34 where it rests untilfurther rotation of the drum 34 again elevates the rod 28 to the fullline position shown in Fig. 2. The lowering and subsequent effectiveduring reciprocation in the opposite direction, the first cam face failsto measure off If the sinker I as much yarn as is measured by the camface second mentioned, the result being that during alternate coursestighter stitches are knitted than during intervening courses giving tothe fabric a so-called wash-board appearance. The objection may beovercome by the marking mech- 'anism hereinbefore described. whichprovides a convenient means for readily detecting when-the yarn is notbeing knitted uniformly. Assuming the yarn guide to have reached thelimit of its traverse in one direction and to have stopped momentarily,Fig. 1, the marking mechanism is brought into .contact with the'yarn therod 25 being immediately thereafter elevated. Now further assuming thatduring the next reciprocatory movement of the yarn guides andslurcockthat the mark just made on the yarn is moved to the position indicatedat 4|, Fig. 1, as the yarn is measured for the next course ofknitting,the distance between the marking mechanism 9 and the point 4| measuresthe amount of the yarn knittedduring the said course. As the yarn guidecomes to rest at the opposite end of the bankof needles, the markingmechanism is again actuated to mark the thread after which the threadguide 6 moves in a direction opposite to the direction first mentioned.If the cam surface effective during the last mentioned movement of theyarn guide and slurcock has been somewhat worn away, the same length ofyarn as before will not be knitted, the result being that the lastmarking will move only to the position such as that indicated at 42.Consequently, by noting where the markings 4|, 42 stop while the yarnguide is momentarily at rest the operator of the machine can readilydetermine whether uniform fabric is being knitted and, furthermore, canat once determine which stroke of the yarn guides and slurcock iscausing the greatest amount of yarn to be knitted, after which theoperator can effect adjustment or replacement of the sinker' cam.

Referringto Fig. 5, there is shown a mechanism indicated generally bythe numeral 43,

. which is mounted on the bracket 4 and which draws sufiicient threadpreparatory to each course of knitting suflicient for the'knitting ofthat course, and thus avoids unevenness in the knitted fabric whichfrequently results from frequent changes in the yarn tension due to thethread tending to stick or adhere to a cone 8 at certain places in thecone winding.

Attached to the bracket H in any convenient manner is a supplementalbracket 44 upstanding from which are a series of lugs 45, 46 having'eyelets therein through which a thread 1. passes.

Between the lugs 45 and 46 there is an upstanding bracket 41- pivotallycarrying a clamp-48, a

spring 49 normally maintaining the said clamp 48 in engagement with thethread 1. Thus the clamp 48 prevents movement of the thread 1 in thedirection of the cone 8 but permits the thread I to pass freely in theopposite direction. Between the lugs 45 are rods 50 which are adjustablyand fixedly carried by a plate and at their upper ends pass throughholes in the bracket 44, the said upper ends being provided with holesor notches receiving the thread 1. The intermediate rod 5|) is elongatedextending downwardly as at 52 and being pivotally connected at 53 to alever 54 which may be pivotally supported as is the lever 3|, cams onthe drum 34 periodically rocking the said lever 54. Between the lugs 45are rods 55 whichare adjustably and fixedly carried by a bar or plate 56and pass up wardly through holes in the bracket 44, said rods 55 havingholes or notches in their upper ends to receive a thread Theintermediate rod 55 is elongated extending downwardly as at 51, thelower end thereof being pivoted at 58 to a lever 59. The lever :59 maybe pivotally mounted as is the lever 3| and is periodically actuated bycams carried by the drum 34.

At the end of each reciprocatory movement of the thread guides, they aremomentarily at rest and at such time the lever 59 is actuated to movethe rods 55 to the elevated position shown in Fig. 5, which drawssufficient thread for the next course through the clamp 48. Preparatoryto the aforesaid movement of the lever 58, the lever 54 is rocked tomove the rods 58 from the position shown in Fig. 5 to a relativelyelevated position such as that of the rods 55. The movement of the rods58 causes thread to be drawn from the source of supply,'i. e., a bobbin8, the clamp 48 preventing thread from being drawn back, i. e., to theleft, Fig. 5. Obviously the needles knit an amount of yarn determined bythe loop measuring instrumentalities such as the sinkers, and the extentof the upward movement of the rods 58, 55 is immaterial so longassufflcient thread is drawn from the source of thread supply to provideenough slack in the thread to permit the knitting of the ensuing coursewithout the sinkers being required to draw additional thread from thesource of thread supply and through the clamp 48.

The mechanism shown in Fig. 5 for pulling thread from the source ofsupply thus avoiding unevenness in the knitted fabric, may be -com-'bined with a mechanism such as that shown in the remaining fi es of thedrawings.

The objections hereinbefore specifically noted which are overcome byusing the mechanisms shown in the drawings hereinbefore disclosed, arecited merely by way of example.

Although in the foregoing description, fullfashioned knitting has beenspecifically mentioned, it is not the intention thereby to'limit theinvention to full-fashioned knitting as, ob-

viously, the invention is equally applicable to circular knitting aswhere reciprocatory movements of a needle cylinder effect the knittingof split fabric. Furthermore, the invention can be applied to so-calledBurson or flat independent relative reciprocatory movements between theyarn feeding means and the needles and sinkers, periodically actuatedmeans adapted to mark the yarn at different places-along the lengththereof, thereby indicating to the operator of 4. In a knitting machinehaving needles-and yarn feeding means for the needles reciprocatingrelatively thereto, a yarn supply and means interposed between thesupply and needles for imparting to the yarn and at spaced points along5 the length thereof certain visible indications.

ROBERT H. LAWSON.

